$9 for a loaf of bread in Tokyo? $2,100 for a dinner bill in Paris? To see which cities are the most expensive for residents and visitors, the Economist looked at the prices -- in U.S. dollars -- of everyday items in cities worldwide.

U.S. stocks fell Tuesday as traders awaited the start of the corporate earnings season. Market-watchers expect the quarter's results could include many surprises because of events like Superstorm Sandy, the presidential election, and the narrowly avoided "fiscal cliff."

Fear that congressional Republicans and President Obama will fail to steer the United States away from the fiscal cliff before a January deadline sent world stock markets lower on Wednesday. Britain's FTSE, Germany's DAX, Japan's Nikkei and France's CAC-40 all fell, and on Wall Street, both the Dow and the S&P 500 opened lower.

Since 1927, Rice Krispies have been an American breakfast staple. Who doesn't like to hear that trademark snap, crackle and pop as the milk hits the cereal? Well, Kellogg is about to find out whether or not the Chinese do.

The United States' ability to compete on the global stage has fallen for the fourth year running as confidence in the country's politicians continues to decline, an annual survey from the World Economic Forum revealed Wednesday.

Heineken's $6 billion bid to take full control of Tiger Beer maker Asia Pacific Breweries, faces a challenge from a group led by Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, which has put in a higher bid to increase its stake in APB.

The Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers got the NFL's approval this week to sell more stock to the public, but even the Pack can't compete with the buzz of another anticipated "football" stock offering: Manchester United. Certainly owning stock in a team makes for great pub talk, but is it a wise investment?

Las Vegas Sands benefits from being more geographically diversified than its major competitors. With a casino resort presence that spans the U.S., Macau and Singapore, LVS is a strong player that can ride out local downturns, and Trefis thinks its stock is undervalued by 10% to 15%.

Singapore is expected to overtake South Korea and Australia this year to become the second-largest Asia-Pacific casino market behind reigning leader Macau. For U.S. investors looking to profit, Las Vegas Sands looks nicely positioned.

Qantas has a lot riding on its reputation for safety, which only raises the stakes for the airline after the engine explosion on one of its Airbus A380s Thursday. It temporarily grounded its six A380s, but the airline needs a long term solution. Is that old workhorse the Boeing 747 the answer?

Airbus SAS and Rolls-Royce Group launched an investigation into why an engine on a Qantas Airways (QUBSF) A380 exploded while the plane was in the air, forcing an emergency landing in Singapore.
Investigators from aviation authorities in France, Australia and the UK will all join the investigation, Bloomberg News reported.

Qantas Airways (QUBSF) suspended all flights of Airbus A380s after one of its fleet was forced to make an emergency landing following engine failure.
The A380 fleet will remain grounded "until we are confident that Qantas safety requirements have been met," CEO Alan Joyce said in a statement.

Singapore Exchange agreed to buy Australian exchange ASX for A$8.4 billion ($8.3 billion).
The Singapore Exchange offer is worth A$48 per share of ASX, a 37% premium over the company%u2019s closing price on Oct. 22, Bloomberg News reported. The two exchanges will be separate legal entities and subject to local regulation.

China%u2019s Sinochem Corp. invited Temasek, Singapore%u2019s sovereign wealth fund, to join a consortium that may bid for Potash Corp. (POT), Reuters reported.
Temasek has not made any decision on whether to join the consortium, Reuters reported without naming its sources. It is not clear if the consortium plans to bid for Potash Corp or to buy a stake large enough to block BHP Billiton%u2019s (BHP) planned takeover.

The Justice Department is investigating HSBC (HBC) clients who may have failed to disclose information about accounts held in India and Singapore, Bloomberg News reported, without naming its sources.
At least one client received a letter from the Justice Department saying the department had reason to believe they held accounts overseas without reporting them to the IRS. The letter did not mention HSBC.

Global wealth made a remarkable comeback in 2009, but you might be surprised by the countries that showed the biggest increase in the percentage of millionaire households. Hint: The U.S. made the list, but it's not even in the top five. Another eye-opening point: Millionaires hold 38% of the world's total wealth.

When the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority struck a deal with Citigroup in 2007 to buy $7.5 billion in equity shares in exchange for an 11 percent dividend, it agreed to convert those shares into common stock later. Now, with Citi's stock below $4, the $30-plus per share Abu Dhabi agreed to pay is looking like a really bad bargain.